Tag Archives: State Street

Earlier this summer, Region Two completed one of this year’s Top 10 Construction Projects – right in the middle of Salt Lake City. Construction crews from Staker Parson Companies and its subcontractors resurfaced a four mile stretch of State Street between 400 South and 3000 South – spanning both Salt Lake and South Salt Lake cities. Crews replaced old asphalt with a one inch Open Graded Surface Course (OGSC), rebuilt 141 pedestrian ramps and 23 medians, and upgraded traffic signals at 12 intersections. The $4 million project started in late April and was successfully completed in late July.

This section of State Street was last resurfaced in 2004. The roadway was starting to form potholes, and concrete medians were reaching the end of their design life. These factors indicated to UDOT that a preservation project was needed. The new pavement surface is expected to last eight to ten years and the concrete work including the new pedestrian ramps and medians is expected to last 30 to 40 years.

With work taking place on a seven-lane arterial in a central business district, the State Street resurfacing project presented several construction challenges. Cars consistently parked in the work zone near downtown Salt Lake City, which required extra signage to control. The old utilities in South Salt Lake were fragile to work around, and the unusually rainy July caused minor schedule changes. The Region Two crew and contractor team worked together to successfully complete work on time in spite of these challenges.

To minimize impacts to drivers and businesses, most of the work on the project was scheduled during overnight hours. The project team coordinated closely with local business owners and residents throughout construction to keep them apprised of upcoming access and parking restrictions, overnight work, and other potential impacts. The public involvement team distributed fliers, answered hotline calls and responded to emails to address concerns and respond to questions.

In addition to businesses and residents, key project stakeholders included Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake City, UTA, Intermountain Harley Davidson, the Utah Pride Festival (UPF) and the Utah Arts Festival (UAF). During the project, Intermountain Harley Davidson attracted a few thousand motorcyclists to a series of events, such as the MDA Rock & Roll Ride and the Demo Days Ride; UPF attracted over 20,000 attendees, and UAP attracted over 80,000 attendees. Special efforts were made to modify the construction schedule to accommodate these festivals and other events. This coordination helped promote a safe and accessible festival experience.

The project received media attention at the beginning of construction. Fox 13 wrote a story that highlighted the type of work taking place on the State Street. As part of the story, Resident Engineer Bryan Chamberlain and Wild Mushroom Pizza owner James Zuiter were both interviewed. Chamberlain emphasized how crews worked at night to get the most done while impacting the fewest people, and Zuiter confirmed that despite the short-term inconvenience, business owners appreciate a freshly surfaced road.

The State Street project was accomplished on time, within budget, and with minimal inconvenience to the public. The newly-resurfaced road, reconstructed medians, and new pedestrian ramps will provide a smoother ride for drivers and enhance safety for pedestrians for years to come.

This guest post was originally published in the Region Two Fall 2014 Newsletter.

When Region Three began preparations for reconstructing State Street from 1860 North in Orem to 100 East in Pleasant Grove, the focus was on widening to three travel lanes in each direction plus a center turn lane.

The project team prepared plans for new asphalt pavement; traffic signal upgrades; curb, gutter, sidewalk and pedestrian ramp installations and reconstruction of the intersection at State Street and 400 North in Lindon. But what makes this project memorable was the partnership with the cities of Orem, Lindon and Pleasant Grove that brought about the addition of striped bicycle lanes to the project scope.

“We have been working with UDOT Central Planning and Mountainland Association of Governments to identify opportunities for bike improvements,” said Region Three Program Manager Brent Schvaneveldt.

“With UDOT’s emphasis on integrated transportation and these other bicycle connectivity discussions happening, we wanted to take the cities’ request for bike lanes seriously and take a hard look at whether they could be added into the design and construction.”

With the widening, repaving and re-striping already planned for State Street, the opportunity to reallocate space and stripe bike lanes made sense. But it wouldn’t have happened without the buy-in and support from local governments.

“Local government collaboration is key to making our transportation network work for the people who use it. Especially on a roadway like State Street that serves local trips as well as regional travel,” Brent said. “This is a great example of local government input helping us better serve the needs of a variety of roadway users.”

The Utah Department of Transportation’s 2014 construction season will start soon. With more than 175 projects worth more than $800 million, UDOT is in for a busy summer.

A few large-scale expansion projects will help optimize mobility by adding new lanes and roads to accommodate Utah’s growing population. In addition, many preventive maintenance projects will help preserve the state’s infrastructure – keeping roads and bridges in good condition, and avoiding the need for more costly repairs in the future. The department will also continue to use innovative technology to improve traffic flow with the installation of the sixth and seventh diverging diamond interchanges in the state.

The following is a list of the top 10 projects statewide in 2014:

I-15, South Davis County
UDOT will extend the longest continuous Express Lanes in the country with the reconstruction of I-15 in Davis County this summer. This project also includes the replacement of multiple bridges from North Salt Lake to Farmington in addition to new interchange configurations at 2600 South and 500 South, which will help improve traffic in those areas. A new pedestrian bridge at Parrish Lane and sidewalk improvements on 500 North and 500 South are also included in the project. Construction is scheduled to start in mid-April and is expected to be complete in 2015. Budget: $117 million

S.R. 201 Reconstruction, Salt Lake County
Crews will be placing new concrete pavement on S.R. 201 between 5600 West and 9450 West, and widening ramps at the 5600 West interchange. As part of this project, utilities, street signs, and traffic signals will also be upgraded. Work is scheduled start in late April and is expected to be complete in fall 2014. These improvements will prolong the life of the road and reduce congestion in the area. Budget: $20 million

Bangerter Highway/Redwood Road interchange, Salt Lake County
UDOT will construct a new interchange at the Redwood Road and Bangerter Highway intersection, similar to the interchange at 7800 South and Bangerter Highway. Construction will start this summer and last for approximately one year. The completed project will improve the flow of traffic in a rapidly growing area of Salt Lake County and enhance safety. Budget: $42 million

I-15, South Cedar City DDI, Cedar City
Crews will reconfigure the I-15 interchange at Exit 57, on the south end of Cedar City, as a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) to improve the flow of traffic for cars, bikes and pedestrians. It includes new ramp construction and modifications to Main Street and the frontage roads. This will be the sixth DDI in Utah. The project is underway and is expected to be complete in fall 2014. Budget: $10 million

Riverdale Road Reconstruction, Roy
UDOT is reconstructing Riverdale Road between the I-84 interchange and S.R. 126 in Roy to improve traffic flow and reduce delays in the area. The project will replace the existing asphalt with new concrete pavement, add a northbound off-ramp and a southbound on-ramp at I-15, and construct two new intersections as well as a new bridge over the freeway. Construction is underway and is scheduled for completion in late fall 2014. Budget: $24 million

I-15, 1100 South DDI, Brigham City
UDOT is converting the existing 1100 South interchange on Interstate 15 in Brigham City to a DDI – the seventh in the state, and the first in northern Utah. This innovative interchange will improve the flow of traffic for drivers traveling to and from Logan on U.S. 91. The north half of the interchange is under construction and will be completed in summer 2014. Once the north half is complete, traffic will be switched to the new bridge, crews will demolish the existing bridge, and the south half of the interchange in scheduled to be constructed by fall 2014. Budget: $$10 million

I-80, Parleys Resurfacing, Parleys Canyon
UDOT is resurfacing Interstate 80 in Parleys Canyon from the mouth of the canyon (near Foothill Drive) to the Ranch exit (exit 132).This maintenance project will replace several areas of rough pavement throughout the canyon with new durable asphalt. Construction scheduled to start this summer and is expected to be complete in fall 2014. Budget: $4 million

State Street Resurfacing, Salt Lake County
UDOT will perform regular maintenance repaving State Street from 400 South to 3300 South, removing the top layer of pavement and replacing it with new asphalt. In addition, crews will reconstruct pedestrian ramps and median islands. Construction is scheduled to start in late April and is expected to be complete by summer 2014. This project will prolong the life of the pavement and provide a smoother ride for drivers. Budget: $4 million

I-80, Silver Creek to Wanship, Summit County
This project will reconstruct a seven-mile section of Interstate 80, one of the most heavily-traveled highways in Utah, using new concrete pavement to prolong the life of the roadway. Crews will also replace the westbound bridge over Silver Creek. Construction is expected to start in June and is scheduled to be complete in 2015. Budget: $43 million

U.S. 40 improvements, Wasatch, Duchesne, Uintah Counties
UDOT crews will be working in several locations along U.S. 40: extending passing lanes near Daniels Summit and Vernal; repaving near Fort Duchesne and Jensen; and upgrading lighting in Roosevelt. These projects will enhance safety for drivers and help traffic flow more smoothly between the Wasatch Front and the Uintah Basin. Construction is underway and is scheduled to be complete by fall 2014. Budget: $13 million

Construction activities, dates and times are subject to change because of weather or delays. For the latest information, download the free “UDOT Traffic” app on any iPhone or Android device or visit udottraffic.utah.gov.

The leaves have turned, the first snow has fallen on the mountains, and the 2013 construction season is nearing an end. UDOT and contractor crews have completed more than 200 road construction projects statewide in 2013. By the end of the year, 216 projects will have been carried out state roads and Interstates from Plymouth to St. George and from Wendover to Vernal. Each one of these projects was designed to help accomplish one or more of UDOT’s strategic goals:

Construction crews installing a new 66″ concrete pipe along I-80 in Parleys Canyon.

Preserve Infrastructure

Optimize Mobility

Zero Fatalities

Strengthen the Economy

In 2013, most construction projects fell under the goal to Preserve Infrastructure. These repaving and rehabilitation projects will keep Utah’s roads in good condition and prevent the need for more costly repairs in the future. Maintaining our highways helps them last as long as possible, and benefits the economy by keeping people, goods, and services moving throughout the state.

In 2012, UDOT completed 229 projects with a total value of $2,783,444,049, which included the I-15 CORE and Mountain View Corridor projects. By comparison, the total value of projects scheduled for completion in 2013 is $631,489,082. To make the best use of a much smaller budget during the 2013 construction season, the department focused on maintaining and making minor improvements to Utah’s roads, rather than major expansion or reconstruction efforts.

During the 2013 construction season, UDOT has resurfaced or repaired pavement on more than 400 miles of Utah highways and roads, and has completed 12 bridge repair or replacement projects. Some notable projects that have been completed or are scheduled for completion this year include:

Workers constructing a new bridge over I-15 as part of the new DDI at St. George Boulevard.

I-80 Culvert Installation: Workers installed approximately two miles of 6-foot-diameter concrete pipe along I-80 in Parley’s Canyon to replace the original drainage system constructed in the 1960s.

I-15 Widening: Crews widened an 8-mile section of I-15 in southern Utah County from two lanes to three this year to reduce congestion and accommodate future growth in the area.

St. George Boulevard Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI): Workers are converting the existing interchange at I-15 and St. George Boulevard into Utah’s fifth operating DDI to improve the flow of traffic.

U.S. 89/91 Repaving: Crews repaved U.S. 89/91 in Cache County from Sardine Summit to Wellsville.

U.S. 89 (State Street) Widening: Workers widened and repaved a two-mile section of State Street between Orem and Pleasant Grove.

Bangerter Highway Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI): Crews completed a new CFI at the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 13400 South to improve traffic flow in southwest Salt Lake County. Utah leads the nation with 11 CFIs (there are only 20 total in the nation).

I-215 Concrete Maintenance: Workers repaired concrete on I-215 from S.R. 201 to North Temple to extend the useful life of the pavement.

Moving forward in 2014, UDOT will widen I-15 at the Point of the Mountain and in Davis County, as well as continue its aggressive focus on maintaining existing roads.

This guest post was written by Leigh Gibson from the UDOT Traffic team.